Varian de Moselle
' King Varian Grey' is a human battlemage created by Justin. He is the youngest son of Varis Grey and one of few to possess the Gift. He reigned as the King of Camelot after forcing Aeveredir Amaranth to abdicate, though this came to an end after an attempted coup for his throne. Since his abdication, Varian served the Parliament of Al-Kharid as Azap Agha, the equivalent to a military commander. After hearing of the arrest of his nephew, Emperor Godric, Varian journeyed home to Anglia where he would later become King of Anglia. Personality & Appearance Varian is a witty, educated, and calculating young man, as he is very understanding of the world around him. As a noble of House Grey and a direct son of Varis Grey, his ambition holds no limits. Though he can be cruel to his enemies, he is very manipulative and cunning to those he doesn't know well enough, and he will do whatever it takes to satisfy his personal gain. His status as the last son and youngest of Varis' litter has made him bitter in most cases, though he's made a goal for himself to maintain the honor of House Grey. Although he may seem arrogant, Varian is compassionate towards those he views as fellow outcasts or rejects. He often employs bastards, criminals, and exiles into his service, causing a strong rift between himself and some members of his family. He has a perceptive and observant outlook, and displays bravery, resourcefulness, and quick thinking on the battlefield. As a skilled battlemage and marksman, Varian often uses off-hand combat magic while wielding a sword in his main hand. His favorite weapon is his barbed bow which he dubbed Harlot, and anytime he's out of his domain he could be seen carrying Harlot and a quiver of steel arrows on his back. Varian has a lean, athletic build, often being regarded as the firstborn of Varis with how similar the two appear to be. His eyes are a dark amethyst, matching his black hair. As he is just shy of manhood, Varian begins to have a patch of stubble growing around his chin and upper lip, though he begins to grow a mutton on his cheeks. His hair is usually well-kept or messy, depending on his mood or recent events. As for clothing, Varian usually dresses in the colors of House Grey, finding suitable tunics and other attire to match his family crest. Biography Varian Grey was born as the youngest son of Varis Grey. Upon his birth, it was noted that he was one of the last of his House to be born with what is known as the Gift. With this ancestral magic coursing through his veins, Varian would easily adapt to spell-casting and using arcane energy. He was merely a small boy when his father became King of Burthorpe and he was sealed away from the world in order for Varis to shape his son's mind. Varian was tutored by Asgarnia's finest scholars and trained in combat by a loyal soldier of Varis' military. Day by day he sparred at the Guard arena in Burthorpe with the other noble boys, except he wasn't allowed to use steel while still young. During the night, he buried himself in the histories of Gielinor, finding solace in revering heroes of the past. Although Varian seems to have been raised a saint, he was still a boy when the Worshippers of the Dragonkin invaded Misthalin. Though Burthorpe was far from Varrock, all nations were affected by the looming threat that was the Worshipper Empire. They swarmed the country sides, severing trade lines and fighting back loyalists of Misthalin. King Varis issued orders to assist the loyalists in the war, declaring his hatred of the Forinthry savages. As Varian was a small boy, he could remember seeing the dark clouds of smoke that hung over a burning nation. At the time, he was still too young to understand why his father couldn't fight back the Worshippers and help Misthalin, though he knew there were things he didn't understand about the political situation. As his brother Galastus walked with him across the battlements in Burthorpe, he was secretly kept informed of the war and even as a child he was very accustomed to devising ignorant battle strategies. In order to keep his son safe and to become assured that he would walk a straight path on the road ahead of him, King Varis sent Varian to the Aren Arcane Institute; namely Aspera Tower. As a boy of thirteen, he was very unfamiliar with the teachings of the Aren's, though as he already possessed an affinity for magic, it wasn't long before he seemed more adapted to the arcane arts. As a student at Aspera, Varian showed early signs of an aspiring battlemage, therefore he was thrown into arena's and battling Forsworn minions for most of his days. From casting destructive spells, enchanting weapons, and even constructing orbs, Varian has become a skilled battlemage and excelled as a wizard. From the age of fourteen to nineteen, he's devoted himself to the Aren's and Aspera Tower, learning from some of the most prominent mages in the realm and gaining more experience as he followed along. With the mysterious disappearance of his father Varis, Varian prepared himself for his return to House Grey, setting goals in mind to bring prestige to his family's name once more. As he left Aspera Tower, he took one last look at one of the Forsworn before teleporting to Burthorpe. The Reclamation & Reign Returning to Anglia, Varian rallied the support of his nephew's vassals and the Grey Knights, immediately setting foot over White Wolf Mountain. Many of the townspeople in Catherby were alerted by his arrival, and very few attempted to resist against Varian's party. As they came upon Camelot Castle, King Aeveredir met them in the courtyard, noting the Grey standards held by the household guard. After a brief exchange of words, some harsh, Varian handed over his birth papers which proclaimed him a son of Varis Grey and the first cousin of the former Queen Clarissa Dayne of Camelot, thus placing him as the heir to Camelot. Aeveredir hesitated carefully, refusing to war with House Grey over what he believed were the boy's natural rights. Therefore, Aeveredir abdicated in favor of Varian, now making him the King of Camelot. In a matter of days, Varian was able to report back to Edward that he had seized the Kingdom of Camelot in the name of House Dayne-Grey, therefore the kingdoms of Anglia and mostly Kandarin were held by the influence of a growing dynasty. Varian allowed Aeveredir three days to gather his retinue before leaving the kingdom altogether, fearing that if he stayed, a rebellion would grow. Now that Aeveredir was gone, Varian was officially coronated in the courtyard of Camelot, and at the coronation, he formally declared war on House Leroux of Ardougne, much to the appreciation of the people. Rabican was to blame for the 'murder' of the former Queen Clarissa, thus the people of Camelot felt war would be justice. Refusing to blame the people of Ardougne for the corrupt actions of King Rabican, Varian seized the kingdom's northern defenses while a rebel coalition fought their way from the east to west. With an army of seven-hundred men, boys, and even women from Camelot, Varian began marching south under the impression that he was going to attack Arenvale while Lord Ausar's coalition fought their way towards Ardougne. As Arenvale deceived the Leroux's into believing they were loyalists, the kingdom's finest regiment was granted access to Ardougne, informing Rabican that they would defend the city. With this massive conspiracy under fold, Anglia secretly provided three hundred men to Varian's army, now amassing his count to one-thousand, the largest army to be fielded since the reign of King Oliver of Kandarin. With Arenvale troops in the city, the Camelite army pressing south, and the coalition known as the Union invading and surrounding the city, the Leroux family were outnumbered and forced to flee or die. Arenvale declared their true intentions once Camelot and the Union invaded, thus ending the reign of Rabican and ending the last chance at once again unifying Kandarin. During the battle, Varian was absent, instead watching as his soldiers invaded the city from the north. King Edward of Anglia joined him at the encampment in Hemenster and the two toasted a glass of brandy at their fine handy work. After the battle, the rebel coalition know as the Union seized Ardougne Castle, attempting to halt the newly formed Agrevian Empire from seizing the city. Varian entered the city around this time, ordering most of his army to occupy Ardougne while sending a quarter of their strength back home to Camelot. His plan was originally to seize the castle after applying political pressure on the Union, though this would become useless as Lord Ausar Dae led a coup d'état to place himself as leader of the province. Doing so with his own supporters, he was able to counteract the Union's feeble attempts at seizing the castle for themselves once again, thus Ardougne was under his control. A bloody skirmish occurred at the castle, resulting in Ausar's victory. Varian assisted the remaining Agrevian troops in routing Union soldiers from the city, and became friends with a former Prince of Kandarin known as Virius Vekon in the process. Virius would later follow the King back home and take up the position as Lord Marshal of the Camelite Army. After congratulating Ausar on his rise to power and settling an alliance between the newly formed Republic of Ardougne and his own kingdom, Varian returned home to his people. Crowds gathered outside the gates of Camelot as he arrived, and the people proclaimed Varian a war hero. Showered in wreaths of peace and flowers, Varian finally entered his castle to feast to their triumph. It wasn't long after he arrived that King Edward, now Emperor of Agrevia, orated a speech in Burthorpe that announced the forming of their empire. After the brief war in Ardougne, it was established that Agrevia now encompassed three kingdoms, and united each of them through dynastic diplomacy. However, Falador and Ardougne remained independent provinces for the time being. Camelot was bolstered by these series of victories, leaving Varian at ease to enjoy his reign in pompous celebrations. He kept all of the reforms enacted by Aeveredir, thus he was also respected by the people for his gratitude in the former King. Leaving his Lord Marshal, Virius Vekon, as castellan in Camelot, Varian travelled over White Wolf to join his family and formally pledge fealty to the Empire. During this time, Virius moved his household guard into Camelot, unbeknownst to Varian. The King was absent from his own kingdom when the Vekon attempted to seize power and restore their former territories to the renaissance experienced during the reign of King Vectis. In fury, Varian returned and attempted to attack the castle, becoming captured by Vectori at the castle gates. His household guard were slain in the process, unable to fight against the might of the Vectori. Camelot was now occupied by the Vekon and the King held a prisoner in the cells of his own castle. It wasn't long before Imperial troops stormed the castle and liberated Camelot from their captors, thus freeing Varian. The King, still shaken by his time spent in the dark cells of Camelot, decided he would abdicate in favor of Reynard Grey, still keeping the throne in the hands of a Grey. Although he much desired to keep the throne, he still recognized the height of his influence in that province, though wished to establish himself in other territories of the Agrevian Empire. After passing the throne to Reynard, he then teleported to Burthorpe where he would remain for several weeks. Trivia *Varian is relatively the same age as his nieces and nephews. *Although originally a Dayne by forgery, it was later agreed upon that his mother was actually a Dayne by blood. *Varian is actually a very powerful mage, although the roleplayer toned him down for character balance, hence why he mostly uses ranged or melee. Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Male Category:Mage Category:Rangers Category:Grey Category:Battlemage Category:Saradominist Category:The Kingdom of Anglia Category:Le'Gaunt